Seth Moulton
Seth Moulton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Seth Moulton is a father, husband, Iraq War Veteran, and Congressman. He now serves the 6th District of Massachusetts, with an office just ten minutes from where he grew up, but he first began serving our country when he was 22.
It was the minister at his college church at Harvard who inspired Seth to serve. “It’s not enough to just support those who serve,” Rev Peter Gomes said, “You have to go out and do something yourself.” That advice resonated with Seth, and he decided to join the Marines.
9/11 happened a few months after his graduation, and little more than a year later, Seth was an infantry platoon commander in the first company of Marines to enter Baghdad in 2003. Despite his disagreements with the war, he insisted on returning for a total of four combat deployments so nobody would have to go in his place.
Seth went to business school on the GI Bill and worked in the private sector in Texas building the country’s first high-speed railway, but missed the sense of purpose he had in the Marines. Serving in Iraq with some of the best Americans he has ever met—while feeling let down and left behind by the politicians in Washington who sent them there—inspired Seth to run for Congress in 2014. He took on a nine-term incumbent backed by the party establishment, calling for a new generation of leadership in Congress, and overcame a 54-point deficit to win. He’s been keeping the promises of that campaign ever since.
In just three short terms in Congress, Seth has worked tirelessly to guarantee good-paying jobs for hard-working people—helping revitalize the biggest city in his district, the old factory city of Lynn, by organizing state and local leaders of all backgrounds. He’s become a leading voice on foreign policy and national security, serving on the Armed Services Committee and holding the Pentagon accountable while introducing bills to transform our national defense and combat foreign influence in America’s elections. And determined to lead by example, he held more town hall meetings in the 114th Congress than any other Democrat in the House or Senate—making sure that the voices of his constituents would be heard in Washington. He’s also fought for veterans health care while upholding his promise to continue getting his own care at the VA.
After the election in 2016, Seth recognized that America needs leaders who have faced challenges more difficult than losing an election or standing up to President Trump. So he used his organization, Serve America, to help change Washington by electing more service-driven leaders to Congress. Seth and his team mentored the candidates, raised millions of dollars for them, and campaigned alongside them in tough, Republican-held districts across the country. On election night, that hard work paid off: twenty-one of Serve America’s candidates won, accounting for half of all Democratic pickups in the House and flipping districts that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016.
Seth lives in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife, Liz, and his daughter, Emmy.
Congressman Seth Moulton was hosted by The Common Good as part of our 2020 Presidential Candidates Series on July 29, 2019 where spoke on on his experience as a veteran of the Iraq War as well as a Congressman. He also addressed any questions concerning him running for president.
Twitter: @sethmoulton
Dee Dee Myers
Dee dee myers
Analyst, commentator, former White House press secretary
Dee Dee Myers joined Vanity Fair as the Washington editor in July 1995 and was made a contributing editor in June 1997. Prior to that, she was the White House press secretary for President Clinton, the first woman to hold that position. She also served as press secretary for Clinton's first presidential campaign. Based in Washington, Myers is a political analyst and commentator, and from 1998 to 2005 she was a consultant on the television series The West Wing. She has held a number of political positions, among them press assistant for the presidential campaigns of Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis, and deputy press secretary and campaign press secretary for Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley. She was also a co-host on the CNBC political talk program Equal Time. (1)
Myers spoke at The Common Good as part of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Panel.
Twitter: @deemyers
(1) Material from the Vanity Fair website.
Susan Fales-Hill
Susan Fales-Hill
Television producer
Susan Fales-Hill began her writing career as an apprentice on The Cosby Show. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and an article for Vogue—“My Life in Black and White,” about growing up bi-racial—has been incorporated into several university courses. Always Wear Joy, her 2003 memoir about her mother, the late actress Josephine Premice, was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. She published her debut novel, One Flight Up, in 2010 and her second novel, Imperfect Bliss, two years later. Fales-Hill helped launch the American Ballet Theatre’s diversity effort, Project Plié. (1)
She introduced Gwen Ifill at The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama event at The Common Good in 2009.
Twitter: @susanfaleshill
(1) Material from the TED website.
Steve Bullock
Governor Steve Bullock
Politician, attorney, 24th Governor of Montana
Governor Steve Bullock is a politician, attorney, and former professor. He was elected Montana’s 24th Governor in 2012 and reelected in 2016. Throughout his career Bullock has emphasizes his desire to bring people together and bridge partisan divides.
As Governor, he has fought on behalf of workers, students, and families, working with a Republican legislature to expand Medicaid, pass an Earned Income Tax Credit, and establish the state’s first public pre-K. He was also the first governor in the country to protect net neutrality through Executive Order.
Prior to his governorship, Bullock acted as the Attorney General of Montana, winning the election in 2008. While in this role he pushed for tougher drunken driving laws, a crackdown on prescription drug abuse, tackled the misclassification of employees as independent contractors by FedEx, and pursued the railroad industry for monopolistic business practices.
On May 14th, 2019 Bullock announced his candidacy for the 2020 Presidential Election, running on the Democratic ticket. Bullock made campaign finance reform a central cause of his campaign, continuing his political legacy to fight corruption in politics. As Attorney General he had taken this fight to the Supreme Court in the first challenge to Citizens United, and later passed one of the strongest campaign disclosure laws in the country. During his candidacy, Bullock has simultaneously been suing the Trump Administration to ensure that wealthy donors can’t hide their influence.
The Common Good hosted Bullock on July 17th, 2019, presenting 2020 Presidential Candidates: Governor Steve Bullock as part of the 2020 Presidential Candidates Series.
Twitter: @GovernorBullock
Mohamad Bazzi
Mohamad Bazzi
Journalist
Mohamad Bazzi is adjunct senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also an assistant professor of journalism at New York University, where he teaches international reporting. He was the 2007-2008 Edward R. Murrow press fellow at CFR. (1)
His articles and commentaries on the Middle East have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Nation, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, Salon, Washington Times, Newark Star- Ledger, and The National (Abu Dhabi). (1)
Bazzi spoke at a Special Screening of “Letters from Baghdad” and Panel Discussion alongside Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum, moderated by Alex Witt, at The Common Good in 2018.
Twitter: @BazziNYU
(1) Material from the Council on Foreign Relations website.
Zeva Oelbaum
Zeva Oelbaum
Film producer
Zeva Oelbaum is an award winning producer and photographer. She recently produced Ahead of Time, a feature documentary about centenarian journalist Ruth Gruber which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before garnering six Best Documentary awards. Oelbaum was also executive producer of the feature documentary, Rene and I. She comes to film from a career as a still photographer and her work has been extensively published in periodicals such as The New York Times Magazine. Her photographs are in international public collections including the Bibliothèque nationale de France and The Brooklyn Museum and two monographs of her work have been published by Rizzoli Int’l Publishers. (1)
Oelbaum spoke at a Special Screening of “Letters from Baghdad” and Panel Discussion alongside Sabine Krayenbühl and Mohamad Bazzi, with moderator Alex Witt,
Twitter: @ZJJD
(1) Material from the Letters from Baghdad website.
Sabine Krayenbühl
Sabine Krayenbühl
Film editor
Sabine Krayenbühl is an award winning editor with over 20 theatrical documentaries and narrative features to her credit, many of which have premiered at prestigious festivals around the world. Her work includes Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nominated My Architect for which she received an American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award nomination. Other credits include Mad Hot Ballroom, one of the top twenty highest grossing documentaries, The Bridge produced by IFC, Picasso and Braque go to the Movies, produced by Martin Scorsese, Virgin Tales, Ahead of Time, Jennifer Fox’s Emmy nominated My Reincarnation, Salinger on which she consulted and most recently Eric Steel’s Kiss the Water, co-produced by BBC Films. (1)
Krayenbühl spoke at The Common Good at a Special Screening of “Letters from Baghdad” and Panel Discussion alongside Zeva Oelbaum and Mohamad Bazzi, moderated by Alex Witt.
Twitter: @Sakrayen
(1) Material from the Letters from Baghdad website.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
Bill de Blasio
American politician
Since assuming office as Mayor of New York City in 2014, Bill de Blasio has developed and executed transformative initiatives including Pre-K for All; Paid Sick Leave; neighborhood policing; IDNYC; and Housing New York, the largest, most ambitious affordable housing plan in the nation.
He began his career in public service in 1989 as part of David N. Dinkins’ successful and historic mayoral campaign and worked in the Dinkins Administration. Over the next decade, de Blasio served as regional director at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; as a school board member for Brooklyn School District 15; and as head of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s historic campaign in 2000 for the U.S. Senate. In 2002, de Blasio joined the New York City Council, representing Brooklyn’s 39th district. During his two terms, de Blasio fought to improve public education, expand affordable housing, protect tenants’ rights, and reform social services for families and children.
De Blasio is currently running in the 2020 presidential elections.
Twitter: @NYCMayor
Stephen Apkon
Stephen Apkon
Film director
Stephen Apkon, a social entrepreneur, formed the Jacob Burns Film Center with the vision of establishing a center for independent and foreign documentary films. Under his 13 year tenure as Executive Director, the JBFC grew to become a major cultural destination and a national leader in the field of visual literacy. In 2014, Mr. Apkon stepped down as the Executive Director of the JBFC to focus on film projects and other non-profit initiatives.
Apkon serves on the boards of The World Cinema Foundation and Advancing Human Rights. He is President of Big 20 Productions, the producer of films I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful; Planetary; Backyard Wilderness; and Disturbing the Peace. He is the author of The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens.
Apkon spoke at a Special Screening of “Disturbing the Peace” - November 15, 2016 at The Common Good.
Twitter: @SteveApkon
Felix Rohatyn
Felix Rohatyn
Banker, diplomat
Felix George Rohatyn is an American investment banker known for his role in preventing the bankruptcy of New York City in the 1970’s and for serving as United States Ambassador to France. He was also a long term advisor to the U.S. Democratic Party.
Rohatyn became widely known in the 1970’s for successfully restructuring New York City’s debt and resolving the city’s fiscal crisis. While running MAC for the city of New York, Rohatyn continued his deal making at Lazard, and he completed such deals as Sony’s acquisition of Columbia. Rohatyn was United States Ambassador to France 1997-2000 during the second Clinton Administration and is a Commander in the French Legion of Honor.
In 1990, he received The Hundred Year Association of New York’s Gold Medal Award “in recognition of outstanding contributions to the City of New York.” Rohatyn is also the recipient of The International Center in New York’s Award of Excellence. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Trustee for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Bill Richardson
Bill Richardson
American politician
For more than 30 years, Bill Richardson has led a distinguished public-service career as a U.S. Congressman (1982-1996), U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997-1998), Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton (1998-2000), and Governor of New Mexico (2003-2011). In December of 2012, Richardson became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Car Charging Group, the largest independent owner and operator of public electric vehicle charging stations in the United States. In 2013 Richardson joined the Board of Advisors for the Fuel Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit campaign that advocates for the end of the oil monopoly
In 2008, he sought the Democratic nomination for President, dropping out after Iowa and New Hampshire. As a diplomat and Special Envoy, Richardson has received four Nobel Peace Prize nominations, and has successfully won the release of hostages and American servicemen in North Korea, Cuba, Iraq, and Sudan. He has authored three books including How to Sweet-Talk a Shark: Strategies and Stories from a Master Negotiator. He is active on the national and international speech circuit, and appears frequently on numerous television news programs, including CNN, FOX, Univision, Meet the Press, and This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Before being elected Governor of New Mexico, Richardson was Chairman of Freedom House, a private nonpartisan organization that promotes democracy and human rights worldwide, and served on the boards of the National Resource Defense Council and United Way International. He was also given the National Hispanic Hero Award by the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute. Richardson has started two foundations: The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, focusing on conflict resolution and prisoner release, and the Foundation to Preserve New Mexico Wildlife with actor and conservationist Robert Redford, which has led the charge to protect wild horses and provide alternatives to horse slaughter. Recently, the Richardson Center for Global Engagement played an instrumental role in the successful release of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi from prison in Tijuana, Mexico.
Richardson spoke at The Common Good as part of the 2008 Democratic National Convention Panel.
Twitter: @GovRichardson
Christopher Ruddy
Christopher Ruddy
Businessman, journalist
Christopher Ruddy is the CEO of Newsmax Media, which publishes Newsmax.com and broadcasts the Newsmax TV network. Following Ruddy's work at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in 1998, he started Newsmax with Richard Mellon Scaife, who owned the Tribune-Review. In April 2010, media-industry magazine Folio named Ruddy to its "FOLIO 40," an "annual list of magazine industry influencers and innovators".
A prominent conservative, Ruddy was an early donor to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. The Washington Post has referred to him as "the Trump Whisperer".
Ruddy spoke at The Common Good in 2017: The Press, Fake News and Politics: Chris Ruddy.
Twitter: @ChrisRuddyNMX
Scott Reich
Scott Reich
Author, attorney
Scott Reich is the author of the acclaimed book, The Power of Citizenship: Why JFK Matters, and is in-house counsel at American Express, where he supports the company’s digital and mobile payments strategy and helps the business develop innovative ways to provide value to card members. He’s also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches a course on the American presidency. Prior to working at American Express, Reich practiced law at the international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and co-founded an online grocery business that aims to combat hunger while creating a healthier, more sustainable food system.
Reich serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and in 2010, he was appointed by the governor of New York to serve on the College Council of SUNY-Old Westbury. Reich has appeared on NBC, CBS, Fox, MSNBC, Bloomberg, WPIX, Larry King Now, and several national and local radio shows. He has also written for the Huffington Post.
Reich spoke at The Common Good in 2013: Exploring the Legacy of JFK: Citizenship and Public Service with Scott Reich.
Twitter: @ScottDReich
Steve Rattner
Steve Rattner
Businessman
Steve Rattner is the Chairman and CEO of Willet Advisors LLC, which invests former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s personal and philanthropic assets. He is the Economic Analyst for MSNBC’s Morning Joe and is a Contributing Writer for the Op-Ed page of The New York Times.
Rattner wrote the book Overhaul: An Insider’s Account of the Obama Administration’s Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry about his time as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury leading the Obama Administration’s successful restructure of the automobile industry. Before this, in 2000, Rattner formed Quadrangle Group LLC, a private investment firm that had more than $6 billion of assets under management. He was Managing Principal there until February 2009.
Before the start of his investment banking career, Mr. Rattner worked as a journalist for The New York Times for nine years, mostly as an economic correspondent in New York, London and Washington. In 1982, he joined Lehman Brothers and was then a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley before leaving to become a General Partner at Lazard Frères in 1989. While at Lazard Frères & Co., he served as Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
Twitter: @SteveRattner
Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo
Actor, activist
Mark Ruffalo is an environmental activist and actor known for his portrayal of Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with The Avengers.
He starred in and was an executive producer of the 2014 television drama film The Normal Heart, for which he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie (as a producer) and he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor in a TV Movie. The same year, he portrayed Dave Schultz in Foxcatcher, for which he was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2015, he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Infinitely Polar Bear and also received BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for his role in the drama Spotlight.
As an environmental activist, Ruffalo has focused his efforts on combating fracking in New York state. Receiving an environmental award at Dickinson College in early 2015, Ruffalo notably told graduates, "I'm here to tell you that 'activist' is not a dirty word." Living that message, Ruffalo founded the Solutions Project, which pushes for 100 percent renewable energy, and is active with Water Defense, a group dedicated to clean water initiatives.
Ruffalo spoke at The Common Good on the Clean Energy and the Water Defense Fund in 2012.
Twitter: @MarkRuffalo
Jeffrey Sachs
Jeffrey Sachs
Economist, policy analyst
Jeffrey D. Sachs is a world-renowned professor of economics, leader in sustainable development, senior UN advisor, bestselling author, and syndicated columnist whose monthly newspaper columns appear in more than 100 countries. He is the co-recipient of the 2015 Blue Planet Prize, the leading global prize for environmental leadership, and has twice been named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential world leaders.
Professor Sachs served as the Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University from 2002 to 2016. He was appointed University Professor at Columbia University in 2016 and also serves as Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development and Professor of Health Policy and Management. He is Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the Sustainable Development Goals, and previously advised both Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.
Professor Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, overcoming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices has taken him to more than 125 countries. Over the past thirty years, he has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He was among the outside advisors to Pope John Paul II on the encyclical Centesimus Annus and currently works closely with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on issues of sustainable development.
Dylan Ratigan
Dylan Ratigan
Businessman, political commentator
Dylan Jason Ratigan is an American businessman, author, film producer, former host of MSNBC’s The Dylan Ratigan Show, former contributor to The Huffington Post, and political commentator for The Young Turks. He was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 21st Congressional District.
The former Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg L.P., Ratigan has developed and launched more than six broadcast and new media properties.
Ratigan was hosted by The Common Good in 2012: Dylan Ratigan “Greedy Bastards”.
Twitter: @DylanRatigan
Karim Sadjadpour
Karim Sadjadpour
Policy analyst
Karim Sadjadpour is an Iranian-American policy analyst at the Carnegie Endowment. He has been "chief Iran analyst" at the International Crisis Group, a contributor to BBC TV and radio, CNN, National Public Radio, PBS NewsHour and Al-Jazeera, and has also appeared on the Today Show, Charlie Rose, Fox News Sunday and the Colbert Report. He contributes regularly to publications such as the Economist, Washington Post, New York Times, International Herald Tribune and Foreign Policy.
Sadjadpour spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2018.
Twitter: @ksadjadpour
Bobby Sager
Bobby Sager
Businessman
Bobby Sager has spent the last decade of his life traveling around the globe giving away his money to make whatever difference he can.
In 2000, Bobby founded the Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow. He and his family traveled to some of the poorest nations on earth, living in villages and cities in developing countries. Always looking for the most efficient and sustainable way to solve any issue, Bobby believed the best way to solve pressing issues was through catalyzing the efforts of other leaders, no matter where or who they were. The family traveled the globe, meeting those leaders and setting up projects to assist their efforts, whether in a mountain tent or jungle prison. Additionally, he began recruiting other high-powered business leaders to use their considerable skills in the service of something larger, through his involvement with the Young Presidents Organization, which counts among its members over 20,000 leaders in 100 countries.
Sager was hosted by The Common Good in 2010 for a Meet & Greet,
Andrew Rasiej
Andrew Rasiej
Founder of the Personal Democracy Forum
Andrew Rasiej is a serial social entrepreneur and founder of the Personal Democracy Forum, an annual conference and website about the intersection of technology, politics, government and advocacy. He is also the co-founder of techPresident.com, an award winning blog that covers how the White House, the federal government, and Congress are using the web, and how technology is empowering new levels of citizen engagement throughout the United States. He is also the founder of MOUSE.org, a not-for-profit focused on 21st century public education, co-founder of Mideastwire.com, which translates Arabic and Farsi news and opinion pieces into English. Rasiej serves as Chairman of the NY Tech Meetup, a 20,000 member organization of technologists, venture funders, marketers, etc. representing the start up, technology, and innovation industry in New York City.
Twitter: @Rasiej